Most Powerful Women: EMEA

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More than half the members of our EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) list are heads of major companies, six are new­comers, and 10 are located in the U.K. One surprise: Nine of our MPWs—including No. 1 Ana Botín­ of ­Banco ­Santan­der—work in finance, a sector known for its dearth of women. See this year's other MPW lists:

Lubna Olayan

Deputy Chairperson and CEO, Olayan Financing, 60

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Photograph by Daniel Acker—Bloomberg via Getty Images

The CEO of Saudi-based Olayan Financing Company is a mainstay on our list. She has run her family’s diversified holding company, whose activities span 12 sectors and range from investing and real estate to the manufacture and distribution of foreign beverages (like Coca-Cola), cookies (like Nabisco’s Oreos) and heavy equipment (like Cummins’ engines), since 1986. A rare female business executive in the Middle East, she is a pioneering figure in her native Saudi Arabia. She is also prominent on the world stage as a Davos regular and a member of many corporate and philanthropic boards. —Erika Fry